Punch pulls closure plans for 1,106 pubs

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Last year’s healthy trading has meant that the pub operator predicted it would take longer before the pubs were closedAlan Weller

Tom Farmery

Last updated at 12:10AM, January 6 2014

Punch Taverns has delayed the disposal of more than 1,100 non-core pubs after they performed better than expected, leading to a longer than expected restructure of the group.

The company’s non-core division accounted for 18 per cent of the pub operator’s pre-tax profit figure of £43 million in the year to August 2013. Of the 1,106 pubs that Punch has earmarked for closure, 116 pubs in the the non-core division have transferred to the core division.

Last year’s healthy trading, despite average profit per pub falling by 5 per cent year-on-year, has meant that the pub operator predicted it would